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Title: Unexpected Blessings Summary: See title Thank you's as always to Georgia, who even beta's at midnight. Bless you, my dear! Our bedroom is bathed in moonlight. Perhaps, it is starlight. The memory of one gone so long ago still affects me, filling me once again with a sense of such great loss. As I realize my need for grounding, I reach out to touch the man beside me. His back is to me and his skin is still slick from our time together tonight. I have done this before, watching him as he sleeps. He is still a wonder to me, a shelter. The space between his shoulder blades is a favorite one of mine. It is a center, a place where I know so many burdens have been borne. I remember how many of them have been mine. He stirs and I pull my hand away because I only wish for him to rest. This gesture reminds me of how I held myself back, away from him for so long. He had to scale so many walls, break down so many ramparts to find my heart. I smile as I recall his patience and fortitude. He never turned away. He was as steady as the north star, almost daily finding ways to reassure me of his care and concern. Hundreds of small gestures built this sacred trust between us. My heart was so very cautious. At first, I was just numb. My loss, our loss was so great. I never thought that a girlish laugh or a soft, pleasured moan would ever again escape my lips. Yet, they did. I recall that first moment when we crossed that line from confidants to intimates. He had been holding me, yet again smoothing away the cruelty of fate. His strong arms, surrounding me, enveloping me with security, dropped away as his hand rose up to touch my hair. It was a gesture that seemed reserved for those who were far more to each other than co-workers. We had shared so much in our search, however, that it did not surprise me. He pulled back from me, his hands moving to my face. "I just want to take away the pain," he whispered with tears in his eyes. And he did. His kiss that night began a journey toward wholeness for both of us. As my gaze falls upon the wedding band that I never remove, I am reminded of the day we promised forever to each other. Our covenant that day not only involved us but extended to the child who sleeps mere steps from our bed. She is growing into a lovely little girl who skips and dances through her days. I am at peace to know that she is growing up with the love of a mother and a father to surround her. It is peace that I did not think would be a part of our lives. "Mommy? Daddy?" she calls into the night, asking for our presence. As I begin to pull back the covers to go to her, I see that my slumbering bed mate has already grabbed his robe and glasses. "I got this one," he quietly says as he leans over to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. And as I watch Walter Skinner leave our bed to tend a child not his own, I know that I have been unexpectedly blessed. End Author's Notes: If you like surprises, you'll enjoy "Musings of a Lovelorn Insomniac," by Brit*Vik at Xemplary. It is with her approval and support that I wrote my story. Thank You!
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